Working Genius Assessment: A Complete Guide

Working Genius is a groundbreaking workplace personality assessment that is revolutionizing teams everywhere. This innovative model helps individuals and organizations discover their unique strengths and challenges, unlocking a new level of productivity, collaboration, and success.

Patrick Lencioni’s Working Genius

Working Genius is an innovative workplace personality assessment created by Patrick Lencioni, a renowned author, speaker, and leadership expert. Patrick Lencioni is widely recognized for his insightful books on teamwork, organizational health, and leadership, including The Five Dysfunctions of a Team and The Advantage.

Unlike other popular workplace assessments such as StrengthsFinder, Enneagram, and DISC, Working Genius focuses specifically on identifying and harnessing an individual’s innate areas of genius—the natural abilities that energize and engage them at work. With Working Genius, Patrick Lencioni offers teams and organizations a powerful tool to tap into their collective genius and maximize their impact.

6 Types of Working Genius (WIDGET)

Wonder (W)

The working genius of Wonder is the ability to ask the right deep, insightful questions about situations. These questions create an environment of curiosity and innovative thinking.

Invention (I)

The working genius of invention is the capacity to generate creative strategic ideas, come up with new solutions, and ideate innovative and efficient processes.

Discernment (D)

The working genius of discernment is the innate ability to assess situations, make judgments, and implement wise decision-making, ensuring the right course of action.

Galvanizing (G)

The working genius of galvanizing is the ability to rally the troops, mobilize teams towards a shared vision, and generate enthusiasm and commitment to achieve the goal.

Enablement (E)

The working genius of enablement is the ability to empower and support individuals, providing them with resources, helping them remove obstacles, and providing the guidance and encouragement needed to succeed.

Tenacity (T)

The working genius of tenacity is the ability to get things across the finish line. People with this genius usually display perseverance, determination and task orientation.

Working Genius Assessment: How It Works

Once you’ve completed the 10-minute test, you’ll gain insights into your personal strengths and discover how you scored in each of the six working geniuses, providing valuable self-awareness and a foundation for personal and professional growth.

Your Working Frustrations

When you review your assessment, you’ll see that two of the attributes are identified as “working frustrations.” That means that those particular areas may pose challenges or areas of difficulty for you in the workplace.

I like to say they create “strain and drain.” These frustrations can arise when you’re required to engage in tasks or activities that fall outside your natural strengths, potentially leading to decreased motivation, inefficiency, or feelings of being overwhelmed. By recognizing and addressing these frustrations, you can develop strategies and identify resources to overcome them.

Your Working Competencies

When two of the attributes are identified as working competencies, it means that you possess the necessary skills and abilities to perform tasks related to those attributes, but they may not be your natural strengths or areas of exceptional talent. While you can effectively handle these competencies, they might not bring you the same level of energy, enjoyment, or peak performance as your working geniuses. Usually, working competencies have a limited shelf life.

Your Working Geniuses

When two of the attributes are identified as your working geniuses, it means that those particular talents come naturally to you and are areas where you excel. They are your inherent, God-given strengths that can be leveraged to bring significant value to your work and team. Recognizing these geniuses can help you focus on tasks and responsibilities that align with your strengths, leading to increased productivity, satisfaction, and overall success.

12 Working Genius Pairings

Each person actually scores for two top working geniuses, not just one. When combining each of these two, a unique strength emerges. These are as follows:

  1. Wonder and Invention (WI/IW): The capacity to ask thought-provoking questions and come up with innovative solutions.
  2. Wonder and Discernment (WD/DW): The skill to inquire deeply and critically evaluate information to make wise decisions.
  3. Wonder and Galvanizing (WG/GW): The talent to inspire and rally others around a shared vision or goal through effective communication and motivation.
  4. Wonder and Enablement (WE/EW): The aptitude to dream with others, then support and empower others by providing the necessary resources and removing obstacles.
  5. Wonder and Tenacity (WT/TW): The ability to dream and explore new possibilities while staying determined and resilient in pursuing them.
  6. Invention and Discernment (ID/DI): The knack for analyzing information and identifying patterns to enhance the quality of ideas and solutions.
  7. Invention and Galvanizing (IG/GI): The ability to communicate and present new concepts in an engaging way, inspiring others to take action.
  8. Invention and Enablement (IE/EI): The skill to provide the necessary tools and resources for implementing innovative ideas and enabling their success.
  9. Invention and Tenacity (IT/TI): The propensity to generate creative ideas and see them through with perseverance and diligence.
  10. Discernment and Galvanizing (DG/GD): The talent to articulate a clear direction and guide others by leveraging critical insights and perspectives.
  11. Discernment and Enablement (DE/ED): The aptitude to offer guidance, support, and resources to help individuals or teams achieve their goals with wisdom and clarity.
  12. Discernment and Tenacity (DT/TD): The capacity to evaluate options and make decisive choices while maintaining determination and focus on the desired outcome.

What to Do After You Take the Working Genius Assessment

Consider Your Job Responsibilities

Understanding your working geniuses, competencies, and frustrations provides valuable insights into your work dynamics and can help you gauge your level of fulfillment and potential burnout. By identifying your working geniuses, the areas where you naturally excel and find joy, you can align your tasks and responsibilities to maximize your engagement and satisfaction. On the other hand, recognizing your working frustrations allows you to pinpoint the aspects that drain your energy and cause dissatisfaction.

When you have a clear understanding of your working geniuses and frustrations, you can make intentional choices about how to structure your work, delegate tasks, or seek support in areas that may not align with your strengths. This self-awareness enables you to create a more balanced and fulfilling work environment, where you can leverage your working geniuses and manage or mitigate the frustrations.

Create a Team Map

The Working Genius assessment results, combined with a team map, offer a powerful tool to gain a comprehensive understanding of the strengths within a team, department, or business. By assessing the working geniuses of each team member, you can identify the collective strengths and talents that exist within the group.

This team map provides a visual representation of the distribution of working geniuses, showcasing the areas where the team excels collectively and where there may be gaps or areas for development. It helps you identify areas where certain working geniuses may be overrepresented or underrepresented, providing insights into potential imbalances or opportunities for skill utilization.

Apply Genius Language to New Roles

The Working Genius model can also greatly enhance the candidate selection process, enabling you to identify individuals who are well-suited for specific roles and have a higher potential for success. By assessing a candidate’s working geniuses, you gain valuable insights into their natural talents and strengths, allowing you to match them with roles that align with their unique abilities. In addition, it can help you assess their fit within a team or department, identify areas where they can contribute most effectively, and ensure a better alignment between their innate talents and the requirements of the role.

Take the Working Genius Test

As a certified Working Genius facilitator, I am equipped to guide individuals and teams through the transformative journey of discovering their working geniuses. If you’re interested in uncovering your unique strengths or unlocking the potential of your team, I invite you to contact me for more information on how to take the Working Genius test or facilitate a team assessment. I’d love to see your team thrive.